The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-07-13
DR.. Gray's POwder-Barrel.

Goodbye, Kitty; | have long
round of calls to make this morning
and shall be late home. Don't worry
if am not here to dinner. Some of
my patients will be hospitable enough
to give me lunch, or, at the worst, l
can manage TO bring up at some inn on
the road about noon-time, where mine
host will provide creature comforts for
me and my beast So you can have
long day to gossip and find out the
latest news. / shall depend upon hear
ing from you what all the town worthless
are talking about"
" Well, father, onlyyou must not eX-
pect to hear the secrets | discover. |
am nothing if not discreet"
DIR. Gray laughed happy, contented
laugh as he stopped to kiss his daugh-
ter, for well he knew there was no cor
ner of her heart which she did not
show him and that any secret worth
knowing would always reach his ears in
the evening chat around the blazing
wood-fre, however much she might bar
gain and haggle to pique his curiosity
and enhance the value of her commune
cation.
DIR. GRAY was widower and Kitty,
LIS tlutSU NlduHDICl. llou III NCulS DCCl
his housekeeper and confdante. In
deed, without her management he
would have found it difficult to bring
up and educate his large family. Two
wives had the worthy doctor had, and
each had bequeathed to him a healthy,
romping family of nine children; and
though he was strong of mind and body
and held good practice, yet he often
found the demands upon his pocket
came in faster than his fees filled it up.
When he told Kitty that he should eX-
pect to hear from her, on his return,
the town gossip, he well knew that it
must all come to her while she was busy
in kitchen or nursery, making good as
well as one pair of hands and willing
heart could the ravages in larder and
wardrobe caused by the horde Of younger
children.
:" My infantry corps" the doctor
woul d say, laying his hand affection
ately on her head, " is ruled by this
captain; am only commissary-general."
Kitty adored her father, thinking him
the wisest, best and handsomest man
in the world, returning his affection and
trust in an ample manner.
Many young man, attracted by her
sweet and comely face, had tried to win
her for wife. But Kitty had only one
standard of manly perfection, and,
judged by that, the aspirants for her
favor all seemed as yet so far below her
ideal that she could not bring herself
even to dream of promising to love,
honor and obey" BESIDE, ;" as she said
in her condolences to her father, "you
know, dear, you couldn't get along
without me, and they can. Why, poor
father, what would you do if all the
children came trooping round you tc
know when dinner would be ready?
You'd have to find wife yourself, and
that you know would be impossible
with such an army of young savages as
we are to cucumber you"
eyes" her father would answer
Kitty, Pm a warning to my kind. My
love, will you accept me, and my
eighteen children, all of them wild as
young hawks, except my daughter
Kitty would brighten the braves:
woman under the sun, were | the Czal
of all the Russias, with endless mines
and serfs to offer her, instead of a pool
country doctor, just able to meet his
yearly bills. Indeed, you must not de
sert your poor, old father. l shall never
be younger or stronger again, but the
boys will soon some of them be able
to take care of themselves, and then
when the real fairy prince comes, if i
isn't too late and you a prematurely
withered old woman, | will gladly give
my blessing"
There had never occurred the slight
est variation of opinion between the
doctor and his daughter except on ont
point. DR.. Gray, by ties of youth anC
by long habit Of mind, was so loyal {
subject of King George that he coult
never quite decide that the royal stu
pidity and oppression should be re
scented by rebellion, while his Kathe
rine, although constantly breathing hi
atmosphere of loyalty and entirely sub
iect to her fathers control through hel
love and duty to him, had Away
strongly inclined to the new feeling o
independence that somehow seemed t.
exhale from the very soil on which thu
colonies were planted. She sometime
thought, as she stood looking down tn
long aisles of sturdy, black trunks il
the pine wood, stretching through in
terminable vistas, each one pushing ii
head with such strong, silent power VI
luIO lue lIcc sulliSnl, lnhI ~ OhO COul
be born among them and breathe j
their pungent, sweet odor, and submit
to be governed in life and property by
laundering name three thousand mile
away. She responded, like her father
to the influences of her birth and wa
loyal to them.
Katherine may have been uncor
sciously confirmed in these feeling
from the fact that one of her suitor
who most nearly approached her idea
had sometimes talked to her with sue
glow of enthusiasm and, as far {
she could see, with reason and justice
of the native and indefeasible rights
mankind. Still no great event had o
Cured to break into the household ha
mony, and DR.. Gray rode away on h
stout bay cob, this June morning, vii
III Of hn oh oh